


Lost Love

by ModSoul



Series: Between the Lines [5]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Assisted Suicide, F/F, Fake tumblr ask, Missing Scene, Season/Series 05, Suicidal Thoughts, gotham is real, real gothamite explaining fictional events
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:08:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23378140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ModSoul/pseuds/ModSoul
Summary: How exactly did Barbara and Oswald overcome their differences after he killed Tabitha?
Relationships: Oswald Cobblepot & Barbara Kean, Tabitha Galavan/Barbara Kean
Series: Between the Lines [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1588390
Kudos: 14





	Lost Love

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a larger series I still have to write.  
> What you need to know:  
> \- Every part of this ask-stories consists of three parts: The Tumblr-post, the flashback to what really happened, Ed's and/or Os' reaction to the post/memory.  
> \- They started dating after Reunification, by the time the questions are asked they have been married for about a decade.  
> \- The Flash went back in time with files upon files on the DC characters & inspired the comic universe, while Batman made sure that any information regarding it would not appear in Gotham, meaning: The comics, movies and shows exist in the world, while the Rogues are non the wiser.  
> \- When Penguin & Riddler figured this out they made someone write their version which in turn was used as basis for the show Gotham.  
> \- After they made a spectacular appearance at a Comic Con, revealing themselves to be real, people started questioning what is real and what is fictional.  
> \- A Tumblr savy Gothamite ended up answering those questions(, as Batmans information block had been cleared after Penguin guilt tripped him into doing so).  
> \- All asks are stand alone - if they refer to things happening in other Fics, those will be linked(, once I publish them).  
> \- The above mentioned things will become their own Fics, including the actual introduction to the Tumblr-user in chapter four of [Gotham Conspiracy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26163706).

YesILiveInTHEGotham **Anonymous** asked:As it was never shown in the show: How on earth did Barbara Kean go from wanting to kill Penguin to working with him? A lot of her pivotal turning points happened off screen. The books unfortunately don’t really give much in terms of how it happened either, but at least it’s phrased as “this is too personal for you people to know”. #Real Gothamite Talking#Gotham is real #GothamTruths#Penguin and Riddler are married 42 notes 

~~~

“I have no idea why I should trust you with this,” Barbara exclaimed as she stormed into Oswald’s office. “I should just kill you and be done with it.” With a huff she sat down on the couch, one arm across the backrest, the other covering her stomach.  
“Then you would lose your only chance of escaping this hellhole,” Oswald reminded her, standing from behind his desk.  
“Do you honestly believe he can pull this off?”  
“Of course. This is Ed we’re talking about. If anyone is capable of building a submarine from scratch it’s him.” Oswald scoffed at the notion.  
“You really put a lot of faith in someone that has betrayed you over and over again,” Barbara taunted, a gleeful glimmer in her eyes. “Remember when he shot you and dumped you in the river? Good times.”  
Oswald snickered not even rising to the bait, instead he shook his head and made his way over to the couch. “That reminds me,” he started, sitting down beside Barbara, “do you know why I killed Butch?” He slowly angled his body towards her to see her reaction.  
She gaped at the topic change before glowering at him. “You wanted to hurt Tabby.”  
“True, but why _Butch_?” Oswald insisted emphasizing the name. He gave her a moment to grasp the question before adding: “And not you.”  
Finally the information seemed to click, but she did not say anything.  
“Tabitha killed the person I loved most in this world and I wanted to repay her in kind.” Instead of gauging her reaction Oswald looked up at the ceiling. “Believe me when I say, it was not easy to determine whether losing you or Butch would be the harder burden. Well, at first, then she showed her hand by how ardently she insisted on saving him.” Turning towards Barbara again he gave her a sympathetic smile. “Besides, it would have been a waste of potential if it had been you.”  
Barbara was fuming, her fists clenched and unclenched as she got up to pace before him. “You little-” she called out and then roared in rage as she moved forward to grab him by the throat. She squeezed but Oswald stayed calm, certain she would not go through with it, not now at least. With another groan she let go. “Why can’t I kill you?!” She yelled and Oswald could see the tears welling up in her eyes.  
“Maybe,” he suggested, resisting the urge to rub his throat. “Maybe, because deep down you’ve come to the same conclusion as I have regarding her demise.”  
Again she gaped at him like a fish out of water, but for them to work together they had to talk about this. It was bad enough that his truce with Ed stood on shaky legs as they never discussed their falling out.  
“Killing Tabitha was not as cathartic as I had hoped it would be. It felt rather … intentional,” he put the words out there that had been bugging him since the incident. Facing forward he let the events replay before his inner eye. “When she entered the warehouse I was certain that I would not make it out alive. Yet, she only tried shooting me by aiming at my shoulder and not my heart, which was her first mistake. When she barely fought back as I was about to stab her and I saw the way her spirit left her altogether when I reminded her that it was her fault Butch was dead, I think I reconsidered killing her for a split second.” Barbara gasped beside him, and he did not need to look at her to know that she was holding back her tears. “I might have imagined it, but I think she pulled my arm to actually plunge my knife into her heart,” Oswald revealed slumping forward to rub his face with his hands. “How can I count this as revenge when it feels like I’ve done her a favor?”  
Barbara hiccuped. She had lost the battle against her emotions. For a moment Oswald contemplated if he should comfort her, before deciding to show her kindness and pulled her towards him. Her hand clung to his suit jacket as grief shook her body.

“Stupid hormones,” she deflected, wiping the evidence of her outburst away with a handkerchief and blowing her nose.  
Oswald only hummed and bit back the sarcastic remark about using condoms in a war zone.  
“I truly am sorry that she put you through this,” he offered, putting his hand on her shoulder.  
“It just hurts so much, to know that being with me wasn’t enough. That-” Barbara’s voice broke, for a moment it seemed the tears would be returning, but she held them back. “That she loved that stupid oaf more than me. That I loved her more than she could ever love me.”  
Soothingly Oswald ran his hand up and down her arm, letting her vent her thoughts.  
“As hollow as it sounds, but it will get better,” Oswald assured her, putting his free hand on her fist. “When I lost my mother I was ready to die. Yet, life does not care if you’re grieving, it just continues and it is your choice whether you move along with it or stay behind. I found my reason to live and I’m sure you will find yours.” With one of his fingers Oswald pointed to Barbara’s belly. “If you haven’t already.”  
“You would do it again,” Barbara stated after contemplating his words for a moment, sadness still lingering in her eyes.  
“In a heartbeat,” Oswald admitted, nodding. “She killed my mother.”  
“I don’t know if I can forgive you,” she declared but did not move away from his touch. “But I think I’m starting to understand what motivated you – and her.” With this she sat up straight. “So, for the sake of our arrangement, I will put this behind us. At least until we’ve left this godforsaken place.” She pulled away her hand and held it out to him.  
Oswald gratefully accepted the gesture when he heard scratching noises fill the vast room.  
“Edward, come here,” Oswald called out, startling Barbara to turn for the new arrival.  
He chuckled to himself at Barbara's look when instead of the other man his dog came stomping around the corner of the couch. “There you are,” Oswald cooed, and made sure to be especially silly about it, lifting up the bulldog onto his lap. “Have you taken a nap? You have, haven’t you?”  
Barbara laughed, when the dog licked his face. A clear, carefree laugh that had Oswald smile at the dog before him.

~~~

“Hey, Uncle Ozzy.” Oswald barely had time to put away his phone before his arms were filled with his goddaughter.  
“Hey, Pumpkin,” he returned her greeting. “Have you grown again?”  
“No? But maybe you’re starting to shrink,” Barbara Lee jested as she took her seat across from him in the booth.  
“Very funny.” Oswald wrinkled his nose, while waving for a waiter to bring their drinks.  
Once they were placed in front of them, both alcohol free, colorful concoctions, Oswald made a guess as to why she visited him on such short notice: “You want to know about Tabitha, don’t you?”  
“How did you-?” She asked, but Oswald held up his hand.  
“Ed follows the same blog, he informed me about the question earlier today.”  
“I see. Between the show, the books and what Mom told me about her, I just wanted to get your side of the story as well to fully understand what happened.”  
“A wise decision, always listen to all parties involved before making a final judgment,” Oswald acknowledged with a nod. “What do you want to know?”

**Author's Note:**

> How did I get to this conclusion?  
> Well, for one there is the fact that Oswald is not a fighter. He is incredible with a gun, but hand to hand combat against someone like Tabitha? Not a chance.  
> So, Tabitha actually wanting to die at this point made a lot more sense to me than Oswald being able to just overpower her.  
> As for the arm pulling: There is a Gif-Set of her death on Tumblr (that I can't find right now) where it just looks like she's pulling instead of letting go and it basically cemented the idea.


End file.
